zOrigin Dev Board

This dev board breaks out and makes easily accessible all the pins and functionality of the ZGLZ1 chip, the custom ZiP that powers the zOrigin. Includes a PMOD connector, and two electrode pads and cables for heart rate monitoring.

No longer available

Free US Shipping / $10 Worldwide

$99

Five-pack of ZGLZ1BA Chips

Prototype your own projects using the same chip as used in zOrigin. Each chip is ten-by-ten, 0.8-mm-pitch BGA package measuring 8.7 mm x 9.1 mm.

No longer available

Free US Shipping / $5 Worldwide

$199

zOrigin Deluxe Kit

Includes one of each of the above pledge levels: one zOrigin, one zOrigin Dev Board, and one Five-pack of ZGLZ1BA Chips.

"ZGlue’s secret sauce is its use of a silicon substrate, with a grid of fine wires for reprogrammable connections between the chips, and some resistors, capacitors, and gates for built-in power management, system management, and memory."

At first glance, zOrigin is a full-featured, wireless fitness tracker
that is so small it could easily go unnoticed among the coins in your
pocket. However, it is also the first proof-of-concept of a new
chip-stacking technology called zGlue that enables engineers and
product designers to create and manufacture custom chips in a matter
of days. Our goal is to make chip design as easy and accessible as
printed circuit board (PCB) design. Whether you use zOrigin as is for
daily health and fitness monitoring, integrate the custom zOrigin chip
into your own product, or use zOrigin as the basis of your very own
chip design, we hope you’ll join us in being among the first to make
use of what zGlue has to offer.

Features & Specifications

Sensors:

Heart rate monitor

Three-axis accelerometer (e.g., pedometer)

Temperature sensor

User Notifications:

Phone app via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

LED

Vibration motor

Enclosure:

3D-printed plastic

11 mm x 16 mm x 33 mm outer dimensions

Power:

25 mAh rechargeable battery

Lasts 1-2 weeks on a single charge

Charging cable included

zOrigin on a bracelet

Three Ways to Use zOrigin

1. Fitness Monitor

Out of the box, zOrigin is a compact, ready-to-use fitness monitor in
a durable enclosure. Install the phone app and you’ll be ready to
monitor your heart rate, temperature, and number of steps taken.

2. Integrate the Chip into Your Own Products

Want to develop your own product based on the chip that powers
zOrigin? No problem – we offer a complete dev board and actual
chips. See below for details.

3. Design Your Own Chip

Using the same ZiP technology we used to design the zOrigin chip, you
too can design and manufacture custom chips in a matter of days. Every
backer of this campaign will get a free trial of our zCAD software for
designing their own chips. See below for details.

Mobile Apps

We’ve developed some example Android mobile apps that interface with
zOrigin via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Of course, you can also
develop your own apps for use with zOrigin. We will soon release the
source code for the mobile apps as a reference.

ZGLZ1BA Features & Specifications

At the heart of zOrigin is the ZGZL1BA, the first commercially
available example of creating a chip using ZiP technology. We designed
the chip with zOrigin in mind. Inside, the ZGLZ1BA integrates the
following components:

Dialog Semiconductor DA14585 16MHz 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 MCU with BLE

Analog Devices AD8233 Heart Rate Analog Front End (AFE)

Macronix MX25R4035F 2 Mbit Flash Memory

MCube MC3672 Accelerometer

Maxim MAX77734 Power Managment IC (PMIC)

SiTime SIT1552 32 kHz Oscillator

Vishay SI8466EDB MOSFET

30 passives

zOrigin's ZGLZ1BA ZiP underside (left) and exposed top (right)

ZGLZ1BA block diagram

zOrigin dev board block diagram

Lowering the Barrier to Custom Chips

The zOrigin is based on the zGlue Integration Platform (ZiP), which
lets anyone use software tools to design a custom, affordable,
ultra-small, power-efficient chip for their own device or project, and
have it manufactured at volume within days.

ZiP is based on zGlue’s 2.5D active integration technology, which
allows designers to stack chips on demand by combining the essential
building blocks required by modern devices – processing, sensing,
memory, and communications – into one chip. zGlue’s flexible silicon
platform delivers the most cost-effective approach for individual
customization and feature selection.

As a token of thanks to our early supporters, every backer of this
Crowd Supply campaign will get a free trial of our zCAD software for
designing their own chips. We anticipate zCAD being released before
the end of 2018. The price tag for similar software for
system-in-package (SiP) design can easily run into six figures.

Support & Documentation

We are in the process of finalizing a full datasheet and reference
design, which we’ll release as soon as possible. Datasheets and other
supporting material will be posted on the zGlue
website as they become available.

FAQ

1. Will you be releasing the zCAD files for zOrigin, and the STL file for the 3D-printed enclosure?

The zCAD software and associated files will be released after the shipment of zOrigin. Each backer will receive a free trial of zCAD software to design their own chips. When released, zCAD software will allow you to select chiplets from the library and place them on our Smart Fabric. Users can then check design rules and fine-tune the design through simulations, and the system will help validate their optimized design.

The pogo pins of the 3D casing are custom made, and we used a high precision 3D printing service to create the new production quality enclosure. We will share the file along with the zOrigin release, and can also advise you along the process of making your own enclosure if you like.

2. Can zOrigin be used as a beacon/ tracker for my cat?

Of course! Your fur-kid can use zOrigin too!

3. Can zOrigin be reprogrammed by the user to track movements other than steps?

Yes, you can re-program DA14585 MCU to track other movements. Maybe some cool dance moves?

4. Does the zOrigin work independently or only while actively connected to a smartphone?

zOrigin requires a smartphone to display data. However, it can be adapted to be independent with additional peripherals.

5. Does zOrigin compute data or store ‘raw’ data that is later used in the app?

zOrigin computes the data before sending it to your smartphone. However, if you write your own firmware, you can store raw data in the DA14585 RAM before sending it to your end-point.

6. Can I connect zOrigin to my own App?

Of course! You can design your own Android or IOS App to communicate with zOrigin. We plan on sharing the zOrigin SDK, so you will have all the information you need to get started on making your app.

7. How long can it be used until the memory is full?

The stacked memory stores the DA14585 code. You can temporarily store the data in the DA14585 RAM. How much data you can store really depends on your usage. If you want to store larger data, you may want to consider adding a Memory Chip on your board.

8. Can I control the vibration strength of zOrigin?

Yes, you can. The DA14585 MCU has a PWM timer that allows you to tune vibration strength.

Manufacturing Plan

We have an extensive partnership ecosystem that will bring zOrigin to
life. The production, assembly, and test process for zGlue’s ZiP
technology is fully qualified by the largest foundry and outsourced
semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in the world. We
already have the first batch of ZiPs assembled and tested.

We manages the procurement and sourcing of all the components used in
zOrigin. Since these are standard components, we anticipate a normal
lead time of 8 to 12 weeks. We’ve been working with trusted partners
in China to build the prototypes. The PCB design and component
procurement efforts will take place in parallel to ZiP assembly. We
will post regular manufacturing updates – please stay tuned!

Risks & Challenges

Our prototypes and the first batch of silicon are back from
manufacturing. We have a lot of work to do to fully test and qualify
the zOrigin system, but it is currently progressing nicely.